Stephen Maing
Brooklyn, NY
This documentary follows the evolution of a young vegetable seller into one of China’s first citizen reporters as he challenges the boundaries of free speech by reporting on news stories censored by the Chinese government’s Propaganda Bureau and state-run media. At 26, Zhou Shuguang—known to his internet community as Zola—heard about a family in a neighboring province defying city developers bent on leveling the neighborhood. That day, he decided to close his vegetable stand and do the unthinkable—report on it. Zola’s blogging helped mobilize thousands of supporters throughout China, marking the beginning of his new life as a roving citizen reporter.
Our Non-Licensee Partner(s)
Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), San Francisco, California—A private, not-for-profit organization that re-grants CPB funds to support production, acquisition, and distribution of public broadcasting programs and is dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible in film, television, and digital media. CAAM provides films for educational distribution, film festivals, and public broadcasting. It also develops new or emerging filmmakers with its James T. Yee Fellowship program.